Into the West
by Castle Solo
Summary: Aragorn sings a lullaby to his son. A songfic featuring Aragorn, Arwen, and his son Elenion yeah I know its not the real name but who cares?


Aragorn Into the West songfic

A blood curdling scream ripped through the air. Aragorn shot up from his bed, his wife Arwen already sitting up and looking around. Looking to the hallway, he knew exactly where the cry had come from. With a gentle touch he urged Arwen to lay down and go back to sleep.

"I'll get him," he whispered in her ear softly. Arwen smiled gratefully and laid her head back down gracefully on the pillow. Her ebony curls swirled about her head in a fountain of majesty and wisdom. Aragorn gave her a final stroke on the cheek then silently headed for the nursery next door.

The stone beneath his bare feet was cool to the touch, even though it was mid-summer. Out a window, he caught a glimpse of the Great Plains stretching from the gates of Minas Tirith to the ends of the earth. Dark storm clouds had begun to gather for a warm weather storm. Faint claps of thunder softly reached Aragorn's ear like a quiet percussion to the night song. Another cry rang out across the stone archways and echoed through the halls. The wailing infant rolled about in his bed. With the swiftness of a Ranger and the tenderness of an elf, Aragorn gently reached in and pulled out his son, Elenion. Pressing the child close to him, Aragorn quietly calmed the fussing infant. After a few minutes of failed attempts he spied a rocking chair in the corner. Grabbing a blanket for little Elenion, Aragorn sat down and rocked back and forth. Immediately, the child began to relax yet still he continued to fuss and whimper.

Aragorn had an idea and began to sing a lullaby he had heard a woman sing to her child once.

_Lay down your sweet and weary head,_

Elenion's tear streaked cheeks had begun to turn a rosy red from exertion. Aragorn's hand gently rested the 18 month old's head on his shoulder.

_Night is falling, you have come to journey's end,_

The shadowy clouds above thundered loudly. Aragorn simply held Elenion tighter and sang more.

_Sleep now, and dream of the ones who came before_

In Aragorn's head he could almost see his mother smiling at him. Her warm presence radiated through the empty room.

_They are calling from across the distant shore._

The glittering waters of a dock far away seemed to appear forlorn and full of longing in Aragorn's memory. He nearly lost his wife to those shores, never to return to him, never to marry him, never to bear his son. Looking down at his still unhappy face Aragorn continued.

_Why do you weep? What are these tears upon your face?_

Gently, he used his fore finger to wipe a crystalline tear from his son's rosy cheek.

_Soon you will see all of your fears will pass away. _

Aragorn though of his only fear: losing his family. He had once been known as a man of no fear, yet now his greatest achievement had become his most precious weakness.

_Safe in my arms, you're only sleeping. _

Elenion's eyes were beginning flutter closed again, the ice blue irises of his mother disappearing to the bliss of sleep.

_What can you see on the horizon?_

What could he be dreaming about that would wake him so violently? Aragorn wished he could see what his son saw every time he closed his eyes.

_Why do those white gulls call? Across the sea a pale moon rises_

Brushing a soft wave of dark hair from Elenion's face, Aragorn saw a sliver of moonbeam fall on his son's face. Illuminating his drifting eyes, Aragorn saw them close once more.

_The ships have come to carry you home._

Elenion's slow even breathing gave notice of his newly found slumber. Aragorn watched his sleeping child and wondered when the ships would come to take him to the land of the dream.

_And all will turn to silver glass, a light on the water also pass_

The moonlight disappeared again behind the large thunderheads above. The threat of rain did not seem unfriendly but rather an anticipated cleansing for the White City. A raindrop plinked lightly on the white exterior of the palace, turning the stone to a silvery glass. Aragorn had not really noticed the beauty of the rain before, yet now it seemed so obviously breathtaking.

_Hope fades into the world of night, through shadows falling out of memory and time._

The Great War had scarred Aragorn for life. He hardly ever left without his sword by his side and never trusted anyone fully. Sometimes he wished dearly he could forget his tainted past and start new. But then again he would never had become the man he was without those memories.

_Don't say we have come now to the end. White shores are calling. You and I will meet again. And you'll be here in my arms just sleeping._

What if he could see his son as he would become? To meet his son once more as man to man. Aragorn hoped the day could come, but not too soon. He wanted to enjoy the joys of his infant while they lasted.

Singing the chorus once more Aragorn stood up to place Elenion back in his crib. Gently, he pulled the blanket over top of the child and simply stared for a moment. The rain outside began to fall rhythmically. To the west, Aragorn saw the open plains ripe for exploration and adventure.

_Grey ships pass into the West. _


End file.
